10 things you should know about Ousmane Dembélé
Barça's imminent signing played football sala until he was 13
He rejected the first professional contract Rennes offered him because he felt they did have faith in him
Unless disaster strikes, Ousmane Dembélé will soon be a Barça player. Barça will be signing a star on the pitch but who is he off the pitch? Here are 10 things you should know about the new Barça player.
1. He has African heritage
His father is Malian and his mother Senegalese/Mauritian. He has one brother and two sisters.
2. His first passion was football sala
Dembélé excelled at football sala up to the age of 13. He usually played with older kids and still stood out. He stopped playing to focus on 11 a side.
3.He also rebelled at Rennes
As he did this summer with Dortmund, in 2014 he refused to train with Rennes when he thought that he had stopped learning at the club. Eventually, he relented.
4. His family is very close to him
When he joined Rennes at the age of 13, his mother and brothers and sisters moved to Brittainy with him.
5. Compared with Cristiano Ronaldo
Although his dream has always been to play for Barça, Dembélé has been compared with Cristiano Ronaldo.
6. His idols include Messi and Neymar
The Frenchman has watched most of Barça’s games in recent years and says he watches Messi and Neymar closest of all.
7. A stunning rise
In 13 months Dembélé went from playing on mud pitches to making his debut for a France youth team. Everything went quickly.
8.He is a strong character
Dembélé is very confident who doesn’t like to lose at anything.
9. He is very active on social media
His Instagram account name is o.dembele7 and he can be found on Twitter under @Dembouz.
10. He could make his debut in the derby
The first match after the international break is Barcelona – Espanyol on 9 September. The game could be his debut.
